Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger Has Contract Mentioned Alongside the Worst in Baseball
On Monday, The Athletic ranked the 10-worst contracts currently in Major League Baseball. And while the Mariners didn't occupy any of the spots on that list, they did get a passing mention.
Even lesser deals without massive publicity don’t work out. Think Jeimer Candelario in Cincinnati or Mitch Haniger in San Francisco and now Seattle. In the case of Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes, even the en vogue pre-arbitration extension isn’t looking like a wise investment for a notoriously penny-pinching ownership.
Haniger signed a three-year deal with the Giants before the 2023 season, totaling $43.5 million. The Mariners re-acquired him before the 2024 season and will have him for the 2025 season at the remaining $15.5 million.
The deal certainly isn't an albatross in terms of length or total dollar amount, but it's absolutely impacting the Mariners and what they can and cannot do this offseason.
With Haniger opting into his deal, the M's now have less cash flow to operate with. The team is acting on a strict budget, apparently of its own doing, and has only $16-20 million to spend on upgrades this offseason. The team could free up some money by trading Haniger but would likely need to attach a solid prospect in any deal so that an acquiring team would take on a portion of his money. Even if they designate him for assignment, they'll be stuck with that money on the books.
Haniger spent five seasons with the Mariners from 2017-2022, making the All-Star team in 2018, before coming back in 2024. He hit just .208 with 12 homers.
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